How Does Shakespeare Use Blood Imagery In Macbeth

1005 Words3 Pages

Blood is a life-supporting substance found in everyone and is the key to survival and sometimes is what drives the actions causing death. Blood, what has often been shed for the universal good. Shakespeare’s play Macbeth was written in 1606 to warn the king and it mentions blood 43 times and is a prime example of how blood is used to symbolize and magnify heroism, guilt, fear, evil, and most importantly it is used to enhance the horror of the deeds part taken in the play resulting in shame. Throughout the 5 acts of the play Shakespeare uses blood imagery to give a deeper and richer understanding of how the almighty Macbeth falls beneath everything he stood for.
In the very beginning, act 1, of Shakespeare play Macbeth, blood imagery is used to symbolize heroism. This is the first time blood is mentioned and unfortunately the last time it will symbolize the greatness of Macbeth. “What bloody man is that? He can report, as seemeth by his plight, of the revolt the newest state” (1, 1, 1-10). King Duncan at this time is questioning a sergeant. The sergeant informs King Duncan about Macbeth’s heroic …show more content…

In this act blood imagery is used to symbolize the ongoing feeling of guilt. “What hands are here…they pluck out mine eyes. With all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand…making the green one red” (2, 2, 60-64). The blood seen on Macbeth’s hands strongly represents Macbeth’s inability to remove the murder from his conscious, and “all great Neptune’s Ocean wash this blood clean from my hands” (2, 2, 60-64), Symbolizes the large amount of guilt that Macbeth feels after he kills Duncan. Finally the change in blood color from green to red symbolizes that the guilt Macbeth feels will always remain there to haunt him as the horrific crime is present in his mind. Blood imagery in this act rather than representing heroism represents the large amount of guilt. Guilt that is

Show More
Related

  • Motif of Blood in Shakespeare's Macbeth

    498 Words  | 1 Pages

    Shakespeare used the image of blood to portray the central idea of Macbeth, King Duncan’s murder.  The crime is foreshadowed in the second scene of the first act.  The king shouts, “ What bloody man is that?” (I,ii,1)  He is referring to a soldier coming in from battle.  The soldier then explains to King Duncan of Macbeth’s heroics in battle.  One assumes that Macbeth is bloody just like the soldier.  The soldier describes Macbeth in action “Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel, / Which smoked with bloody execution.” (I,ii,17-18)  This line connects Macbeth with killing, and hints at the future.

    Read More

  • Corruption of Unchecked Ambition in Shakespeare's Macbeth

    1294 Words  | 3 Pages

    middle of paper ... ... Blood is everywhere in Macbeth, beginning with the opening battle between the Scots and the Norwegian invaders, which is described in harrowing terms by the wounded captain in Act I, scene ii. Once Macbeth and Lady Macbeth embark upon their murderous journey, blood comes to symbolize their guilt, and they begin to feel that their crimes have stained them in a way that cannot be washed clean.

    Read More

  • The Symbolism of Blood in Macbeth

    893 Words  | 2 Pages

    The symbolism of blood prior to, and immediately following Duncan’s murder amplifies the magnitude of Macbeth’s treachery. Following the prophecy of the witches, Macbeth contemplates the possible effects of murdering Duncan in order to gain the crown. Macbeth believes the killing of Duncan will provide "bloody instruction" to Scotland and will in turn "plague th' inventor" (1.7.9-10). This quotation characterizes the murder of Duncan as a bloody deed, therefore amplifying the severity of the crime. Prior to the murder of Duncan, Macbeth hallucinated bloody splotches on his dagger.

    Read More

  • Blood Motif in Macbeth

    620 Words  | 2 Pages

    In many contexts, blood symbolizes one’s heroism and power. At the battlegrounds, Duncan notices the approaching sergeant and asks, “What bloody man is that?”(I.ii.1). The use of blood signifies the captain’s bravery through his wounded state. He reports back their victory and symbolizes the violence that took place. This also alludes to Macbeth’s heroic qualities in which he too had fought on the same grounds. Lady Macbeth cries out for courage and strength by saying, “And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full / Of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood” (I.v.49-50). The use of blood in this context also relates to one’s power using the idea of it being a life source and a vital part to the soul. By thickening her b...

    Read More

  • Blood As An Image In Macbeth

    564 Words  | 2 Pages

    Blood is mentioned throughout the play and mainly in reference to murder or treason. The first reference to blood is in MacBeth's soliloquy in Act 2, Scene 1, Lines 33-61, when Macbeth sees the bloody dagger floating in the air before him. Also in this soliloquy on line 46 he sees "on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood", this means that there is blood on the handle and spots of blood on the handle. This is implying that the dagger was viciously and maliciously used on someone. Shakespeare most likely put this in as premonition of murder and death to come later in the story.

    Read More

  • Imagery In Macbeth

    618 Words  | 2 Pages

    Later, blood seems to show treachery. At the end of the play, Shakespeare uses blood to show Macbeth’s guilt for all his evil and greedy acts.     The first reference of blood occurs when Duncan sees the injured sergeant and says, "What bloody man is that?" (1.2.1) The King is referring to the brave messenger who has just returned from a war. Soon after, the bloody captain praised Macbeth’s deeds in battle, saying that he held his sword "Which smoked with bloody execution" (1.2.20), meaning that Macbeth’s bravery was shown by his sword covered in the hot blood of the enemy.

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Macbeth Essay: Blood Images and Imagery

    392 Words  | 1 Pages

    Use of Blood Imagery in Macbeth William Shakespeare uses many techniques to liven up the intensity, and the excitement, of his plays. In the play of MacBeth, Shakespeare uses blood imagery to add a sense of fear, guilt, shame, insanity, and anger to the atmosphere. The use of blood imagery allows the audience to vision in their minds the crime scene where Duncan was murdered, as well as the scene where Lady MacBeth tries to cope with the consequences of her actions. The talk and sight of blood has a great impact on the strength and depth of the use of blood imagery. MacBeth’s soliloquy in Act 2 scene 1 gives the reader a description of how Duncan will be murdered.

    Read More

  • Blood Imagery In Macbeth

    589 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Shakespeare's Macbeth a play, a man named Macbeth goes through a great transformation; Macbeth goes from being a heroic general in the king's army to an assassin and a tyrant. The theme of the play is never to give into evil because it destroys no matter what the benefits are. Blood Imagery is very important in the play; it shows Macbeth's evil ambition in the beginning, middle, and end of the play. At the beginning of the play, blood imagery is very important. "Till he unseamed him from the nave to the chaps, / and fixed his head upon our battlements"(I.ii.22-23).

    Read More

  • Use of Blood in Macbeth

    595 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the beginning of this play blood resembles honor, bravery, and maybe even victory. Macbeth's blood saturated sword after the war portrays him as a brave hero because of the enemy he killed. He is known as "Brave Macbeth" to everyone including Duncan, the King. His bravery is rewarded by the title of Thane of Cawdor, with the help of the current one being executed for treason. I feel that the word blood at the beginning of this play earns Macbeth’s respect from not only the characters, but also the audience.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Macbeth

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    The image of blood plays an important role throughout Macbeth. Blood represents the murders that Macbeth had committed, the guilt that went along with the murders and the pain that it brought on him during his downfall. The soldier describes the violence and bloodshed, in the war between Scotland and Norway, "Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds." (I. ii. 43) foreshadows the violent nature of the play filled with murder, guilt and pain. Blood in the murder of King Duncan also plays a major role because it represents Macbeth's guilt as well as his shame for slaying King Duncan. Macbeth observes his blood stained hands and remarks "As they had seen me with these hangman's hands." (II. ii. 28) This reveals his guilt and shame because he is comparing his hands to those of an executioner's. After the murder, Macbeth refuses to return back to the bed chamber of Kind Duncan to smear the blood on the sleeping guards, because he is afraid that the blood will incriminate him further. Lady Macbeth smearing the blood onto the guards represents them trying to rub their guilt off onto the guard. "I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal, for it must seem their guilt" (II. ii. 73) but this proves to be ineffective because Macbeth ends up murdering t...

    Read More

  • Guilt Theme In Macbeth

    805 Words  | 2 Pages

    The scene with Macbeth finding a bloody dagger thinking “ And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood.” (2.1.55) This asserts guilt through the symbolism of blood, that Macbeth imagines blood on the dagger on the grounds that he feels guilty about what he is going to do. When Macbeth orders the murderers to kills his friend Banquo and he returns as a ghost. Macbeth tells that "There’s blood upon thy face". (3.4.16) The blood also symbolizes guilt because Macbeth indirectly kills Banquo and now Macbeth knows that the blood of a person who is murdered will come back to the person who committed the murder. Another scene utilizing blood as a symbol is when Macbeth assumes the throne as king of Scotland and mentions to Banquo about Malcolm and Donalbain fleeing to England and Ireland saying “We hear our bloody cousins are bestowed In England and in Ireland.” (3.1.33-34) The word “bloody” mention by Macbeth portrays how Macbeth wants Banquo to see that the two sons are guilty and fled because they killed their father. The recurring symbol of blood symbolizes guilt from the actions characters that are responsible for a specified wrongdoing.

    Read More

  • The Imagery Of Blood In Shakespeare's Macbeth

    858 Words  | 2 Pages

    The imagery of blood shows Lady Macbeth wants to get rid of her guilt. Lady Macbeth states, “And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood” (1.5. 49-50). Lady Macbeth is saying that she wants be filled with cruelty from top to bottom and to thicken her blood because she knows that from what she is about to do, she will get guilt.

    Read More

  • The Power of Blood in Macbeth

    1490 Words  | 3 Pages

    At the beginning of the play, the bloody captain and Lady Macbeth have very different opinions of what is brave (especially the qualities of bravery that Macbeth either shows or does not show) and both use different images of milk and blood to prove their point. The captain is bleeding because he fought bravely in battle, especially against Malcolm’s (the son of King Duncan of Scotland) “captivity” (I ii 6). His wounds signify his loyalty to Scotland. In his severely wounded state, however, the bloody captain decides to speak about Macbeth’s bravery against the Norwegian invaders and especially the rebel leader Macdonwald to the King. Macbeth has been killing so many people that his sword “smoke[s]” (I ii 21), or steams, with blood. These “execution[s]” (I ii 21) foreshadow his many other murders with his “brandished steel” (I ii 20) later on in the play. These executions are not for the good of Scotland, but for his acquiring (and guarding) the title of King of Scotland. Later in Act I, Lady Macbeth reads a letter from Macbeth telling her about the witches’ prophecy for Macbeth and Banquo, how he was hailed Thane of Cawdor by the witches and would eventually be King. Instantly, Lady Macbeth began plotting as to how Macbeth would go about murdering King Duncan to gain the title. However, she “fear[s]” (I v 15) that Macbeth’s human “nature” (I v 15) is too “milk[y]” ...

    Read More

  • The Significance Of Blood In Macbeth

    1778 Words  | 4 Pages

    Blood was very evident throughout Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Violence caused blood to drip from the fingers of characters and stain them for the rest of their life. Blood meant various things in the play but it was certainly seen, literally and through hallucinations. Blood in Macbeth is more important when it is imagined by characters but is not actually there because it causes main characters such as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to feel more guilty, becomes a reminder of death, and represents violence and murder. The biggest role of blood in the play was becoming a stigma of guilt for characters including Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

    Read More

  • Imagery and Symbolism in "Macbeth"

    2063 Words  | 5 Pages

    Blood is seen as a symbol of courage and valor for Macbeth, who fights valiantly on the bloody battlefield.... ... middle of paper ... ... The symbol of blood in "Macbeth" comes full circle as it conveys honor, betrayal, guilt and honor again.

    Read More

More about How Does Shakespeare Use Blood Imagery In Macbeth

Open Document